Despite the fact that I don't have children, I do understand their appeal. I have nieces and a nephew - three great nieces - all adorable. But did I ever sit around and mope at my inability to have children (which is true) by staring at photos of them in a crib? In a word, no.
Alan's behavior this week with photos of the family who have "betrayed" him (Phillip and Gus) and those he's lost (Sarah, Emma and baby Bernadette for now) was both creepy and sad. Alan is one of those complicated character that I love to delve into. For all of his millions (or billions, who knows?) he is, in fact, all alone in the world. He's been married more times than I can even remember, and even his own sister comes in and out of his life like a summer breeze.
To see "poor" Alan, sitting in his mansion, staring at photos of little girls was like a splash of cold water on your face. You knew that Alan had either gone off the deep end (again) or was plotting and planning something to get them back. Or a combination of both, which always seems to be his M.O. Whatever he has up his monogrammed sleeves, you know it will be spell-binding, and heartbreaking all at once.
But, as Alan's stories always do, there are others involved. Someone who thought they could change him, or live with his many faults (Beth) and those who are ultimately affected by the desire to be ensnared by Alan Spaulding. In this case, Rick, the long suffering pal who let his best friend marry her (twice) and finally has his shot at happiness - til Cassie's actions - and his in-actions - change the course of their lives. James (the normally unseen), and Lizzie will suffer, too. Lizzie more than James, since she has a "replacement" - baby Sarah. For some reason, Alan has never taken to really focusing his efforts on James - despite the fact that he is Phillip's son.
But if Beth doesn't give Alan his daughter to mold and spoil, and smother in his obsessive kind of love, Sarah becomes even more important. Emma is still close by, and Alan can finally see a shot at having her all to himself with Olivia on her deathbed and Phillip on the run. But Olivia has taken steps to protect her daughter - but is it enough?
Alan's own childhood was not a loving one - long time fans recall his claustrophobia stems from being locked in a closet repeatedly as a child. For all of the riches, and living "on the hill" the Spaulding home never seemed to be a happy one. But to take his child (and yes, Bernadette is his) from the most stable home in Springfield (and now the only real finished house - the Bauer house) is really cruel. I hope that Beth stays with Rick so the baby - whatever her name becomes - gets at least a 50/50 shot at normalcy. Not that the Bauer house is perfect, but it is more of a home that the Spaulding Mansion ever will be. Despite Alan's millions and servants on hand 24/7.
Speaking of families, I've been getting a lot of mail from fans thinking I am letting Cyrus off the hook for his affair with Harley. Let me assure you that is NOT the case. I am just so much more invested in Harley as a character - I've watched since her first scene and adore Beth Ehlers' performances. Harley reminds me a lot of me since we are close to the same age. We've had issues (although she's had a lot more husband's than I have ; ) but we always seem to overcome whatever life throws at us. But to have Harley as "the other woman" is pretty disconcerting. It makes me root against a character I've always adored. Cyrus, for all of his adorable accent and all, is a short term character as opposed to Harley. I can't see the show being able to keep them together - unless one of the three leaves the show, which I know nothing about.
I think part of my feelings of betrayal is that Harley has been the wronged woman in so many relationships. Mallet cheated, Phillip cheated, Josh was still pining after a "ghost" Reva when they were engaged (yes, Harley and Josh were engaged years ago). And now Gus cheated with Natalia. But all of a sudden, Harley can turn around, with her emotional baggage, and be the "other woman"? I simply don't buy it. Anyone who has known the character knows this doesn't ring true. Cyrus is 100% dead wrong as well, but I don't have any of the history I have with Harley with the Aussie. But if he thinks cheating on a woman who legally carries a fire arm is smart - he's just a pretty face with no brains at all!! GL really boxed his story into a corner - and it's not going to be easy to overcome.
This week brings Lizzie and Jonathan's big day. Remember that Tom Pelphrey is only here for about 6 weeks, so his last day is coming soon. This week promises many fireworks for GL fans - and a look at the "new look" GL that the show has been teasing us with (and making my husband a little nauseous with the hand held cameras - hopefully not the case with all GL fans).
So let the fireworks begin!!
Keep the Light Shining and Have a Great Week!
Kimberly
